Honorable David D. Noce, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri, retired from the Court on April 30, 2023. He was the longest-serving active service Magistrate Judge in the country – a record that will likely never be broken – and he is also the longest serving Judge at any level in the State of Missouri to date. Among his many activities and accolades, Judge Noce had particular pride in presiding over Project EARN – a Drug Court aimed at rehabilitating drug offenders. His contributions to the Court and the legal profession will reverberate for years to come. Judge Noce will serve periodically on recall status when Court needs arise. He will also continue to teach Jury Instructions and Trial Process at Saint Louis University School of Law and will continue to serve on the 8th Circuit’s Jury Instructions Committee.

The vacancy left by Judge Noce was filled on May 1, 2023, with the swearing-in of Judge Joseph S. Dueker. He is a 1992 graduate of St. Louis University School of Law. He worked in the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for more than 17 years where he later served as associate chief trial attorney. He became an Associate Circuit Judge for the 21st Judicial Circuit in 2010 and was appointed as Circuit Judge in 2016. He has presided over a wide variety of dockets and numerous jury trials during his tenure as a Judge in state court.

Chief Judge Stephen R. Clark expressed his gratitude to Judge Noce and welcomed Judge Dueker, saying, “since his appointment in 1976, Judge Noce has represented the Court with grace and dignity. He is responsible for setting the high standard to which all of our Magistrate Judges aspire. I know that Judge Dueker, with his wealth of experience as a Judge and the high regard in which he is already held by the Bar, will carry on the tradition set by Judge Noce.”

The term of office of a Magistrate judge is eight years, with the opportunity to renew the appointment for additional terms.